ASPAEAGINOUS PLANTS.— THE ARTICHOKE. 



131 



Sicily. It was brought to England in 1S48 

 from Italy, as Phillips remarks, not Gerard, 

 as erroneously stated in the " Encyclopaedia of 

 Plants;" for although he has left us correct 

 representations of both the French and the 

 globe varieties, he makes no mention of their 

 country or their introduction : we may there- 

 fore conclude that they were become common 

 in 1696. The same excellent authority re- 

 marks, " By reason of the great moisture of our 

 climate " compared with that of Italy, " and the 

 attention which was paid to its cultivation, it 

 soon became so much improved in size and fla- 

 vour that the Italians sent for plants to Eng- 

 land, deeming them to be of another kind, but 

 they soon returned to their natural size when 

 restored to that country." It grows wdld in the 

 open fields in Italy, and attains the height of 

 S or 6 feet. On account of the great size of the 

 roots, and their penetrating the soil so deep, 

 they withstand the dry hot summers about 

 Paris, where they are most extensively culti- 

 vated and most abundantly used. 



Uses. — ^The parts used are the lower parts of 

 the leaves or scales of the calyx, the fleshy re- 

 ceptacles of the flower freed from the bristles and 

 seed-down, commonly called the choke, as they 

 are very disagreeable when swallowed. Some- 

 times, particularly in France, the tender central 

 leaf-stalk is blanched and eaten like oardoons. 

 The bottom, which is the top of the receptacles, 

 is fried in paste, and enters largely into fricas- 

 sees and ragouts ; they are sometimes pickled, 

 and often used in a raw state as a salad. The 

 French also cut them into thin slices, leaving 

 one of the scales or calyx leaves attached, by 

 which the slice is lifted and dipped in oil and 

 vinegar before using. The English present the 

 head whole, or cut into quarters upon a dry 

 plate, the guest picking off the scales one by 

 one, which have a fleshy substance at their 

 base ; these are dipped in oil and vinegar and 

 eaten first, the bottom part afterwards with a 

 knife and fork. What is called artichoke chard 

 is the tender leaf-stalks blanched and cooked 

 like cardoons. The Italians and French often 

 eat the heads raw with vinegar, salt, oil, and 

 pepper ; but they are generally preferred when 

 boiled, and in this state are sold in the streets of 

 Paris as commonly as baked potatoes are in 

 those of London. They are a favourite dish 

 at a French breakfast, while in Britain we use 

 them at supper. The young heads are pickled 

 whole when about 2 inches in diameter. Medi- 

 cinally, the stalks are considered aperient and 

 diuretic; the leaves, in their natural state, boiled 

 in white wine whey, are thought beneficial in 

 cases of jaimdiee, and, when cut into pieces 

 and steeped in sherry wine, an excellent anti- 

 bilious medicine. The roots were eaten by the 

 ancient Romans sodden in water to enable 

 them to drink to excess, as it excited a desire 

 for liquor; and Athenian mothers desirous of 

 having male children were recommended to eat 

 of artichokes freely. 



Propagation. — The plant may be pro- 

 pagated by seed, which in France ripens 



freely in September and October. It sel- 

 dom comes to maturity in Britain. But 

 this mode is seldom had recourse to ; it is, 

 therefore, multiplied by suckers, slips, or 

 by division of the roots. It is probably on 

 account of our mode of propagation being 

 on the extension principle, and the seed 

 not ripening freely with us, that we have 

 few or no new improved varieties of the 

 plant. 



Planting. — The suckers or slips are 

 taken from the old roots in March or 

 April, this depending on the season and 

 situation ; for it is better to delay a week 

 or two, so that the young roots may be 

 formed on the suckers before they are 

 detached. In taking them off, a little of 

 the earth is removed from the side of the 

 plant, so that the position of the sucker 

 may be seen ; it is then cut from the old 

 root with a knife, preserving as many of 

 its young roots as possible. The slips or 

 suckers should, however, not be taken off 

 till they have attained the height of a foot 

 or 15 inches, and be planted as soon after 

 removal as possible. No curtailment of 

 the leaves should be allowed, although a 

 very general practice. They should be 

 planted in rows 4 feet apart, and the 

 plants set 2 feet distant in the line. 

 It is usual to put them in patches of 

 three plants each, but it is better to have 

 one plant only. When the old roots are 

 to be divided, the operation may take 

 place earlier in the season, and when the 

 young plant is only 5 or 6 inches sprung. 

 This is, however, not so good a way as 

 using the suckers without any portion of 

 the old root being retained. Give water 

 at planting, and continue it until they 

 have taken root. The heads will be pro- 

 duced the first season, but later than 

 those from established plants ; which cir- 

 cumstance justifies the practice of making 

 a new plantation every year, as it extends 

 the season of the crop. Although arti- 

 chokes will continue producing abun- 

 dance of heads for a number of years, if 

 in a good soil, and well attended to with 

 manure, we think it better to plant an- 

 nually, and so destroy half of the previous 

 stock yearly, thus having strong young 

 plants, and offering an opportunity for 

 changing the soil. 



Suhseqiient cultivation. — Keep the ground 

 well stirred up between the plants, thin 

 out all the suckers that arise in spring, 



